Manage Records

The United Nations Archives and Records Management Section is responsible for advising UN entities and staff on all aspects of records and information management. We support the management of UN records throughout their life cycle: from creation and use, through their preservation and re-use as archives.

All United Nations staff members should know that the information they receive or create in the course of conducting business, irrespective of its format, is the property of the Organization. Most records created as a result of UN business have a finite retention period and can be destroyed when this period expires. A small percentage, however, are preserved as United Nations archives because they have enduring and historical value. As the coordinating office in the UN Secretariat’s Department of Operational Support, the Archives and Records Management Section provides a range of services and resources to support the management of records in coordination with other information management experts across the Secretariat and the Office of Information and Communication Technology.

Manage archives

The Archives and Records Management Section provides the following assistance to United Nations offices: 

  • Advice on the development of metadata schemes, taxonomies and file folder structure in SharePoint Online
  • Support developing and approving retention schedules
  • Support for records transfer, storage, retrieval, and disposal.
  • On-demand Records and information management training

Additional details on advisory services provided by the Archives and Records Management Section is available on the Advisory Services page.